Chapter Text
Harry is his everything.
Louis needs Harry.
Once he came to that realization, everything came falling into place.
Louis loved Harry.
Louis was in love with Harry.
He was utterly and completely in love with Harry.
And this wasn’t some blind attraction to the best friend he had been fake dating the past few months, because he had already thought of that. He had thought of that weeks ago.
No, this was love. And Louis loved Harry.
Harry loved Louis and Louis loved Harry.
How could he have been so blind? It was right in front of him for so long.
Louis had no idea how this had managed to go unnoticed, but he for sure knew one thing. He had to get out of this bed right now and go and find the man he’s in love with.
Louis pushes himself off the bed and stomps towards the door, not even bothering to wipe away his tears and fix his hair.
Niall looked up at Louis from his spot on the couch, and his eyes grew wide when they took in Louis’ disheveled state.
“Everything alright?” Niall asked cautiously.
Louis looked at him and wondered if he had listened to Harry’s song. They did share lyrics often. And Niall was teaching Harry guitar.
“Did you listen to that?” Louis asks, voice breaking from the tears, pointing back towards the room he had just left.
Niall nods slowly, trying to read Louis’ expression.
“Where is he?” Louis asks immediately.
“Louis-” Niall starts, but Louis will not have it. He needs to see Harry right this instant.
“Niall James Horan, if you don’t tell me where he is I swear to God-” Louis starts, clearly exasperated.
“Louis, he just wanted to be alone right now. Just let him have that?”
“No!” Louis shouts, “I need to talk to him. Niall, please?” Louis is not above begging, and he prepares himself for it.
“Give me one good reason I should tell you where he is.” Niall crosses his arms over his chest.
He wasn’t in the room with Louis when Louis had come to his realization, so he doesn’t expect the answer that now comes so easily to Louis.
“Because I’m in love with him. And I need to tell him. I would also prefer to do it right now, because I might die if I don’t?” Louis says very fast.
Niall’s stern face immediately breaks and he morphs into the overjoyed Niall that Louis knows and loves.
“No fucking way! Mate! This is huge!” Niall exclaims, jumping up to wrap Louis in a massive hug.
“Yes, yes. I didn’t much fancy telling you before Harry, but hurry up and tell me where he is.” Louis says, brushing the jumping Irishman off of him, laughing.
“Oh, yeah of course.” Niall says, composing himself a bit. “He’s at the football pitch.”
Louis cringes a bit. He should have known Harry would go back there.
He sets off to leave, leaving Niall’s shouts of good luck behind him.
The second he gets out the door of Niall’s flat, he is hit with a gust of cold air. He wraps his arms around himself for warmth, hoping Harry is warm.
It’s late now, after 11:00, and it’s dark and cold. Louis just hopes Harry is okay when he gets to him.
As he makes his way over to the pitch, (in all the excitement, Louis had decided to walk, which he was now regretting) he goes over the past few days in his head.
How Harry had kissed him on the football field and how he had done nothing. He was still hitting himself for that one.
He and Harry had been through everything together, and if Louis was being completely honest with himself, he’s probably been in love with Harry for quite some time now.
Holy shit. Louis thought to himself. He loved Harry. He loved Harry. And Harry thought he didn’t even feel the same way in the slightest. He had been avoiding Louis.
Oh god, why was Louis so stupid?
By the time Louis had managed to reach the park, he was crying again, and looking around frantically. He spots the white frames of the goals on the field in the distance.
“Harry?” Louis shouts, tears still in his eyes. If he does not find this man right this second and tell him he’s in love with him, he might explode.
He finally sees Harry, sitting on the ground with his back against the goal post.
“Harry!” Louis shouts, breaking into a run, crying a bit harder.
Harry’s head snaps to Louis, and he immediately stands up, bringing himself to Louis.
“Louis? What’s wrong, why are you crying? What happened?” Harry asks, sounding extremely worried, his brow furrowing.
And goddamn Harry Styles.
Because, of course the first thing Harry asks Louis is if he is alright. Of course it is. Louis had been the one to make him cry, and believe he’s not in love with him, and yet Harry is the one asking Louis if he is okay.
Louis can’t think of anything to say, so he just does the one thing he wants to do at that moment. He kisses Harry. He grabs the back of Harry’s neck, and slams their lips together. He feels Harry’s body stiffen with shock, before he relaxes and kisses back, wrapping his arms around Louis’ waist.
After a few minutes, they pull apart, still holding each other. Louis is beaming, and Harry is gasping, still unsure of what just happened.
“But, I thought-” Harry starts.
“Haz, I am in love with you.” Louis finally says.
“You’re- You what?” Harry says in disbelief, his eyes widening and smile growing.
“Goddammit, Harry. I am so sorry it has taken me so long to figure it out, but it’s you. I have been in love with you for a while if I’m being honest with myself. I was just so scared of what that meant, because I haven’t been in love with someone or dated someone in so long. Even then, I don’t think I have ever really felt love, because if this is what love feels like, then fuck, I have never been in love. I have literally never felt anything like this for anyone before, and that scares me a bit. You just- you seemed so sure, like you just knew how you felt. And I guess I’m just sorry that it took me so long and I’m sorry that I’ve been a clueless arsehole these past few days.” This gets a small laugh out of Harry, who is also crying now. “I just- I just love you so much. Like, it literally hurts how much I love you! I am in physical pain, Harry!” They are both laughing now, both crying happy tears. “Look what you’ve done to me!” Louis puts his forehead against Harry’s and ends his speech with a whisper of: “Fuck, I am so in love with you.”
Harry brings his hands up to cup Louis’ cheeks, as they beam at each other.
“I love you so much.” Harry says quietly, his hands on Louis’ cheeks and his forehead against Louis’.
“I love you too.” Louis says back.
“Oh my god, this is crazy!” Harry says, practically jumping with joy. He suddenly thinks of something, which makes him stop. “Not that I’m complaining,” he starts, “like, at all,” Louis laughs, “But, where did this come from?”
Right. This was the part where he tells Harry he kind of maybe went through his stuff at Niall’s.
“I, maybe, might have found your song?” Louis says, as if it were a question.
“My- you found my song? The one I wrote for you?”
Louis just nods in Harry’s hands, smiling.
“What did- What did you think?”
“Haz, I loved it.” Harry breathes out a sigh of relief as Louis begins, “It was amazing. It’s quite possibly the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me. And fuck, I love you so much! And it feels so good to finally say that.”
“You know what else feels pretty good?” Harry starts, moving his hands from Louis’ face back to his waist, bringing him in tighter.
“You’re naughty, Styles.” Louis teases, as he wraps his arms around Harry’s neck and brings their lips together.
They only pull apart when Harry’s watch beeps, indicating that it is midnight.
Louis smiles up at Harry, and says, “Merry Christmas, love.”
Love. There was a new weight to that word now.
Harry was beaming as he said, “Merry Christmas.” Before bringing Louis back in for another kiss.
:::
Louis blindly searched for the doorknob to get the door to their flat open as soon as possible. His hands were currently occupied, tangling themselves in Harry’s curls.
Having no success with the door, Louis let out a loud groan of frustration and turned around in Harry’s arms to open it. Harry wrapped his arms around Louis’ waist and started kissing his neck.
“Haz,” Louis said quietly as he closed his eyes to the gentle touch of Harry’s lips on his neck. “I need to open this door, stop distracting me.”
Harry stepped away from Louis and put his hands behind his back. Once Louis got the door open, he turned around in the open door frame and took in the sight of Harry. He was standing, feet together and hands clasped behind his back. He wore an innocent look on his face, except for the slight smirk played on his lips.
Louis rolled his eyes fondly and said, “Oh, come on.”
Harry broke out into a smile as he bounded at Louis and picked him up in his arms. Louis grabbed the back of Harry’s neck and kissed him. If Louis knew that this was what he had been missing, he might have figured his shit out sooner. Harry was an amazing kisser.
That night, Louis had fallen asleep next to the boy he loved, and slept better than he had in days.
:::
“Styles!” Louis shouted, running after Harry down the hallway from their bedroom.
He finally caught up to Harry, who was holding an opened whipped cream can in his right hand, as he opened the front door with his left.
Harry had woken Louis up from his nap by putting a swirl of whipped cream on his hand. This, of course, led to Louis having whipped cream on his face, and therefore the reason he was chasing Harry around their flat.
Louis was about to tackle Harry when he spotted the two people in the doorway. He immediately smiled as he greeted them, “Zaynie! Payno!”
He launched himself into Zayn’s arms in a tight hug. Liam was laughing next to them as Zayn staggered back a bit.
“Merry Christmas, you two.” Liam said, smiling at Louis in Zayn’s arms before turning to Harry and giving him a knowing look.
Harry’s smile just grew as he wrapped Liam in a hug.
Harry and Louis had done a lot of talking in the hours between the football field and now. Of course, they did other things too, but that’s not important. Harry had told Louis all about talking to Liam and when he was staying with him and then Niall. Louis felt awful about the whole situation, but Harry repeatedly assured him it was okay, because they ended up together anyway.
Louis eventually let go of Zayn and naturally gravitated towards Harry’s side. The four of them sat on the couch, with Harry curled up against Louis and Zayn doodling once again on Liam’s arm.
About twenty minutes later, and without knocking, Niall bursts in with a loud greeting to them all.
“Merry Christmas, boys!” He bellowed, putting wide smiles on everyone’s faces. Niall took in the sight of the two couples on the couch and groaned, “Fuck no. I refuse to be a fifth wheel.”
“Mate,” Liam began, “You kind of already were one for a few months.”
Zayn chuckles and Niall shrugs, “True. But if I do not receive a single cuddle tonight, I will not- and I mean not be happy.”
Harry immediately knows what Louis is about to do, so he sits up off of Louis’ chest without even having to be asked. Louis shoots a smile and wink to his boyfriend before getting up and jumping on Niall.
“Ni! We love you!” Louis shouted, wrapping his legs around Niall’s waist.
Niall lets out a loud laugh as Zayn reaches out to pull the hood of Niall’s sweatshirt, making them fall onto the couch. This ends with a dog pile, with Niall getting hugged from every direction.
“Merry Christmas, you wankers.” Niall laughs out.
“We love you Ni!” Liam shouts out, with the others chiming in with shouts of agreement.
Louis loves each and every one of them.
Later that night, after they’d all exchanged gifts and had plenty of laughs and drinks, Harry and Louis shut the door behind their friends as they left.
Louis leaned against it and let out a breath. He looked at Harry, standing across him and a smile grew on his lips.
“Hey,” he said.
Harry smiled back in return. “Hi.”
“Have I ever told you how beautiful you are?”
Harry’s eyes glisten with the compliment and his smile grows bigger. He brings his hand up to his chin and fakes a contemplative expression. “Hm, I don’t think you have, actually.”
Louis’ smile is far from leaving his face as he says, “Well then.” He pushes off the door and walks towards Harry, wrapping his arms around Harry’s neck. “You are the most beautiful person I have ever laid eyes on.”
Harry all but swoons as he says, “I love you.”
Louis’ smile grows as he says, “I love you too.”
Harry wraps his arms around Louis’ waist and pulls him in for a tight hug. They sway in their spot for a bit to the light Christmas music on the television. Louis lets his eyes close as he rests his head on Harry’s shoulder, with Harry doing the same to him.
“Hey, Haz.”
“Mm?” Is all Harry responds, his head still on Louis’ shoulder.
“We’re dancing.” Louis finishes his thought.
Louis feels Harry’s smile against his shoulder before he sees it as Harry pulls away to look into Louis’ eyes.
And there it is again.
Whenever Harry locks his emerald green eyes to Louis’ ocean blue ones, Louis gets those same butterflies he did all those weeks ago.
“Merry Christmas, Lou.” Harry says, leaning his forehead against Louis’.
“Merry, Christmas, love.” Louis says, closing the distance between their lips.
Harry pulls him tighter as he says, “Best Christmas ever.”
Louis lets out a small laugh, before bringing their lips together again in a tender and sweet kiss. Louis couldn’t help but think about how right Harry truly was.